Focus on Year 10 Metalwork
The final year 10 metalwork project for semester 1 required students to make a set of fire tools from mild steel. Employing a variety of taught techniques, students had the opportunity to design the handles of their fire tools. Through undertaking this task, students were exposed to a vast amount of learning content, including:
- Work Health and Safety: Machine tool training and assessment (Electromagnetic pan brake, Cold saw, electric welding machines, gas forge, oxy-acetylene equipment, pedestal wire wheel, angle grinder)
- Critical and creative thinking (order of process, aesthetics and function, invention of jigs to refine and repeat processes)
- Identifying and selecting bar stock sizes and profiles.
- Material properties (malleability)
- Effect of heat on metals, expansion, plasticity, oxide formation.
- Metal shaping techniques (forging, folding, cutting)
- Traditional forging techniques (drawing out tapers)
- Decorative techniques (wrapping, plaiting, twisting)
- Joining metals (electric fusion welding process-handle grafting, Gas fusion welding process – shovel head corner joins, solid rivet making and fitting – shovel head to handle)
- Finishing techniques (traditional beeswax) over heat formed oxides.
See some outstanding completed work by Eamon Brennan and Eli Rickerby.
Year 9 Jewellery students’ final semester 1 task required them to design and make their own sterling silver ring by applying skills developed through previous projects undertaken earlier in the semester. The design aspect of this task is very important, particularly in the consideration of aesthetics, and students were encouraged to focus largely on the design elements of line, shape, colour and texture whilst designing their work. There is a vast amount of student learning covered in the undertaking of this task, including:
- Critical and creative thinking
- Familiarity with elements and principles of design
- Work Health and Safety for Jewellery workshop tools and equipment (little torch, rolling mill, metal lathe, pedestal buff, flexible shaft tool)
- Identification and selection of silver profiles and sizes
- Material properties and effect of heat on sterling silver (annealing and malleability)
- Joining metals: silver soldering
- Cutting, shaping, forming and finishing processes for sterling silver.
Check out the process shots and some outstanding completed tasks!
